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ratriotism and Cheese. 



SPEECH 

OP \ ^ 



.W 



HON. JOHN Mr ALLEN, 

of mississippi, 
In the House of Eepresentatives, 

Wedaesday, June SO, 1S9S. 

thereto— 

Mr' Ip^AKfR^I woul<llike to discuss this proposition to make 

I want to say a lew wu „entleman from Ohio, General 

&'r?sven^k ShifsiS before the Republican convention ot 
S the other clay, in speaking of those who do not tram with the 
Repu'blican party in this House, said: 
"^La if you will notice the Passa^ 

^^^^hey were willing to de.na.Kl that the Pr^^^^^ 

^iS^^^'^Jr'^trtLlZ'^'^i ^t^^TtSin the House, and aU but 8 of 
?he?n!n the Se^nate, voted "no" upon every P^-OP^^^^^; .^^^ 

T have also noticed where the gentleman from Indiana [lur. 
OverItreet], the secretary of the Republican Congressional 
rTnT^Tnmee in a carefully prepared interview published in the 
mshSn Post on the JoAi o? May among other reflections on 
the political organization to which I belong, said: 

The Democra/c leaders in congress wh^ 

cial fallacies upon the country. The people iiave nut ^iga^gi^ip for the 

ocrats in Congress claimed ^.^^^iiVufn ff-Vonductfn-^^^^ against Spain, when 
purpose of aiding the^Adminstrat^^^ 

it came tothetestand a\ote\va', letjuiieu, v initiative in the 

the resolution which a"tti°"^^f„i^.'lf^'i®|''l^^^^^^^ Cuba, an act which 

war and insisted "PO^ ^-e^ogm^ing the^i^^^^ .^^^ th^ 

events have demonstrated would have been a^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ 

necessary provisions to raise f"^ds wth which to cairyo ^^^ ^^ 

step, instead of manifesting tl^eir cm dial sy^^^ ^ ^^ .. coinage 

a year proclaimed, they insisted inbnngmg to tneiront P ^ ^ ^^her 

QUOTAS OF DEMOCRATIC STATES. 

When the ^50,000,000 appropriation was auth^^^^^^^ 
Democrats took occasion to P|edge the siipport or ^^e Pcoi intention to 

for the aid of the nation, '-^nd/" eloquent terms^^^ respective 

Ss'^Out- Sl^h^- 'oLfei^^LniiariS \Te^cln ^for volunteers there is 
3521 T..'^.4>. 



-^•hardlv a State wherft Democratic Representatives so eloquently pledged 
V their people to the cause that has furnished its quota under the call. 
<v» • Mr. Speaker, in my judgment, there was never a more unjust 
and baseless accusation brought against any political organiza- 
•A tion than the charge that the Democrats and Populists m this 

^' House had exhausted their patriotism when they voted for the first 

S')0,UOO,000 approDriation. If ever a set of men "marched up to 
the rack, fodder or no fodder," patronage or no patronage, cheese 
or no cheese, and gave their unstinted support to an Administra- 
tion opposed to them in politics, the Democrats and Populists of 
this House have done so in their support of the Administration in 
the conduct of this war. 

We have believed, Mr. Speaker, that when our country is en- 
gaged in a war with Spain or any other foreign country we should 
forget all partisanship— forget, so far as measures necessary to 
successful conduct of the war are concerned, whether we are 
Democrats or Republicans, and only remember that we are Amer- 
ican citizens. [Applause.] . , -rrr-n- 

And thus believing, we have stood here recognizing William 
McKinley as the President of our common country, and have 
given him and his Administration everything asked for. I do not 
believe that the history of this or any other country will show 
money as lavishly appropriated, with as few restrictions on its 
use, and with as little opposition from the political opponents of 
the Administration that was to expend it; and we have voted 
almost without question for every measure asked for by the Ad- 
ministration in aid of the successful prosecution of the war. 

It is true, Mr. Speaker, that most of us on this side of the House 
did vote against the proposition to issue bonds. There was more 
than $100,000,000 of unnecessary surplus in the Treasury, there 
was a "large amount of silver seigniorage lying idle in the Treasury 
uncoined. We favored utilizing these resources of the Govern- 
ment first, and then, if more money should be needed, we favored 
issuing greenbacks or Treasury notes to carry on the war. but it 
was our vote against the bond issue that, with most Republicans, 
stamps us as unpatriotic. 

I confess, Mr. Speaker, that in the minds of many gentlemen 
on that side of the House no man can be a patriot who does not 
stand for and vote for every proposition to issue bonds. Some 
gentlemen regard that as the very highest test of patriotism. 
Dewey, with his brave men, might be willing to go into what ap- 
p^red to be the very jaws of death, as he did at Manila; or Hob- 
son and his brave crew might exhibit their willingness to go to 
the bottom with the Mcrrimac; but neither of them would be 
patriots in the eyes of some people unless they favored every 
proposition to issue bonds. 

I do not know, Mr. Speaker, whether the proposition to issue 
cheese will be made a test of loyalty or not, but I hesitate now 
to raise my voice against the addition of cheese to the regu- 
lar army ration lest I be accused of a want of patriotism. But 
being an old and experienced soldier and having had much ex- 
perience with rations and the want of them [laughter] , I might 
be permitted to express some opinion on this subject. I want 
to sav that my experience was with the rations issued to an 
army" that, judged by its achievements, was as good as the world 
ever" saw. And when I look over the bill of fare now issued 
as the rations to our soldiers, I can but think of what a ban- 
queting feast it would have been to the soldiers who made such a 
reputation for soldierly qualities on both sides in this nation 






thirty-five years ago. Just listen to this bill of fare. This is the 
daily ration now rerinired by law to be furnished the soldiers: 

THE RATION. 

A ration is the allowance for subsistence of one person for one day, and 
consistsof the meat, the bread, the vegetable, the coffee and sugar, the sea- 
son^-, and the soap and candid components. ^Paragraph 12ol, Army Regu- 
lation's, 1895. ) See also paragraph 1258, ibid: ^ ^ 



Article ■ 



Quantities 
per ration. 



Meat components. 



Fre*^h beef - - --- — ._.... 

Or fresh mutton, when the cost does not 

exceed that of beef 

Or pork - 

Or bacon 

Or salt beef :-,""%" -V"-"'i' 

Or. when meat can not be furnished, dried 

fish- - 

Or pickled fish 

Or fresh fish 



D 
% 



Bread components. 



Flour - 

Or soft bread ■ 

Or hard bread ^ 

Or corn meal .--■:^-"i;",j"'" V''^ 

Baking powder for troops in the field, when 
necessary to enable them to bake their own 
bread - 



Vegetable coynponents. 



Beans 

Or pease ... 

Or rice 

Or hominy. 



Potatoes , . .1, 

Or potatoes, 12J ounces, and onions, 6^ 



ouncee ■ v: ''''„" 

Or potatoes, \\\ ounces, and canned toma- 
toes, 44 ounces; or +J ounces of other 
fresh vegetables not canned, when they 
can be obtained in the vicinity of the 
post or transported in a wholesome con- 
dition from a distance 



Coffee and sugar cowipoiicnfs. 



Coffee, green 

Or roasted coffee 

Or tea, green or black. 
Sugar 

Or molasses. 

Or cane sirup 



Seasonina components. 



Vinegar 

Salt - 

Pepper, black 



Soap and candle components. 



Candles '( when" Vliuminating oil is not fur- 
nished by the Quartermasters Depart- 
ment) 



10 



Quantities per 
100 rations. 



125 

125 
75 

ij'r 

87 
112 
112 



112 
112 
100 
125 



15 
15 
10 
10 
100 

100 



100 



15 



3521 



Why, Mr. Speaker, when I was a soldier, this ration cooked, as 
we Iniew how to cook, would have furnished a feast more tempting 
than any that could be set before me now by Delmonico. It is 
admitted the Commissary Department is opposed to adding the 
cheese ration. My understanding is the regular soldiers are well 
satisfied with the present ration. If there are complaints from the 
volunteers who are unaccustomed to the hardships of war, I tliink 
they will cease when they become inured to camp life. 

I am willing to do everything necessary for the good and com- 
fort of our soldiers. But if you want good soldiers, you do not 
want to coddle them too much. You hear a great deal of talk 
about "hard-tack"' and "sow belly," but I have not been real 
hungry since the war that I did not crave hard-tack and bacon. 

Why, Mr. Speaker, a man with a good appetite who is really 
hungry, who can get some hard-tack or baker's bread and a piece 
of bacon, put a stick through it, hold it over the fire and broil it, 
and drip the grease on his bread and eat it ha§ what is to me a 
very good repast, if he can get enough of it. When I get hungry, 
as I have many a time, I think much more about broiled or fried 
bacon and bread than I do about terrapin and champagne or lob- 
ster a la Newberger or punch a la Romaine. [Laughter and ap- 
plause.] _ , ■, , ^ 
Why, sir, last year I bought a few boxes of hard-tack and took 
them down to some of my old Confederate friends just as a re- 
minder of old times. [Laughter.] I do not want our soldiers 
confined to hard-tack and bacon, but you see by this bill of fare 
they are not confined to it. You do not want to overdo this thing 
and get your ration too big. Our Army is not going out just for 
the purpose of eating. [Laughter and applause.] They have 
other business in hand to which they will properly attend if you 
will give them a reasonable amount of food and a chance to fight. 
Look at the Regular Army, who have been furnished with the 
rations now prescribed by law. You will not see a finer, healthier, 
or hardier set of men anywhere. They have plenty of such things 
as experience has demonstrated were best for them. Let the 
Government see that the contractors do not swindle them in the 
quality of the food furnished. I doubt very much if this prop- 
osition to furnish cheese is made as much in the interest of the 
soldiers as it is in the interest of the people who have cheese for sale. 
Mr. Speaker, so far as I am indi\'idually concerned and those 
■who cooperate with me in this House, we want to give to the Ad- 
ministration every possible facility for the proper conduct of this 
war. I do not believe there will be found on either side of this 
House anyone voting to obstruct a successful prosecution of 
this war: it should not be a partisan war. 

I do not believe any party would attempt, for partisan purposes, 
to hamper or impede the Administration in the conduct of this 
war, and I for one enter my protest against the efforts which have 
been or may hereafter be made to make political capital in favor 
of or against any political party, especially when there is no more 
ground for it than exists up to this time. 

Mr. Speaker, I want to say to my Republican friends, let us lay 
aside our bickerings and contentions until we have "licked" the 
Spaniards [applause], and then we can resume our partisan quar- 
rels and fight it out before the American people. [Applause.] 
In the face of a common enemy let us put efforts for partisan ad- 
vantage behind us. I do not intend that any of you shall display 
any more patriotism than I or my people. 
S531 



It will be seen that the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Over- 
street], who seems to have felt he had discharged his duty to 
the country when he delivered hii5 interview against the Demo- 
cratic party, and who, I believe, has ever since been absent from 
his seat, took occasion to' reflect on the patriotism of some of our 
States bv saving? they had not at that time furnished their quota 
of troops, i think the States have been remarkably prompt m 
supplying the troops called for. 

But I want to call attention to the fact that m most of our 
Southern States conditions are very different from those m which 
most of you reside. In my own State the majority of our popula- 
tion is colored. The call having been made in the States accord- 
ino- to population, and no call for colored troops from the State, 
has left our quota to ba filled from the whites. Besides, we have no 
surplus population. The war found our people all at work; most 
of them are farmers: they had commenced their crops, and it is a 
more serious problem for a man dependent on his work to give 
up his job or his crop than one who has nothing to do. 

They doubted if their services would be needed, for they did 
not believe that with our 75,000,000 of the greatest people on the 
face of the earth, with our unlimited resources and unlimited 
credit, with our 4 per cent bonds worth $1.20 on the dollar, that a 
nation like Spain, incomparably our inferior in numbers, in wealth, 
in intelligence, and in all the attributes that make good soldiers, 
with her 4 per cent bonds worth 30 cents on the dollar, one-fourth 
of what ours are worth— they did not think it could be much of a 
war, and that it would necessarily soon be over. 

And if they did not go as readily as some others, under these 
conditions, our quotas have been filled reasonably fast, and you 
will find that svhen it comes to fighting, the troops from no State 
in this Union will show more courage or do better fighting than 
the Mississippians. They will go where ordered, and I am willing 
for the patriotism of my section to be tested by the way they dis- 
charge their duties as soldiers rather than by whether their Rep- 
resentative votes for or against bond issues or for or against the 
cheese ration. [Laughter.] 

I notice the gentleman from Ohio. General Grosvenor, when 
called down by an editorial in the Washington Post about his 
speech, to which I have already referred, in a card in answer to 
that editorial threatened at some later day to furnish a catalogue 
of the crimes or votes of the Democrats as evidencing their want 
of patriotism in connection with the prosecution of the war. I 
suppose these charges will be chucked into the Record just 
about time of adjournment to be used for campaign purposes, and 
I suppose those of us who vote against this proposition to furnish 
a market for the cheese makers will be held up as obstructing the 
successful prosecution of the war, and it may be that the secre- 
tary of the Congressional Republican committee will supplement 
his charges against the Democratic party with this accusation. 
But, MiC Speaker, I am going now to make a proposition that I 
think is a better test of fervent patriotism than a vote for or 
against bonds or a vote for or against cheese, and I make it in the 
most perfect goQjiMtll---' It is understood we are going to adjourn 
in a few days. °I am willing to head the list of a company of Con- 
gressmen to be commanded by General Grosvenor [applause] 
to start from here and go down to Cuba and join Teddy Roose- 
velt's Rough Riders right at the front. [Applause.] 
A Member (on the Democratic side). Cheese or no cheese. 

3524 



Mr. ALLEN. Cheese or no cheese, and I will tell you another 
thing I will engage to do, notwithstanding there are a great many 
more Republicans here than Democrats. I will take my stand and 
let them form on me, and for every Republican on that side of the 
House that you will get to march up and take his stand beside me 
to go in that company I will furnish a Democrat from over here. 
[Applause.] And I tell you when they see us coming, and when 
they see the gentleman from Ohio heading this band of gallant 
Congressmen who helped to bring on this war, then the war will 
soon be over and we will not have much more use for cheese, 
[Laughter.] 

That proposition is made in perfect good faith. I am ready to 
go, and I am ready to go from here; ami, so far as I am concerned, 
I do not want any commissiomj I want to occupy the same high 
and distinguished positibn ilTtlie next war that I occupied in the 
last one, and I want to show "Old Glory " that I can do just as 
good fighting under her as I did when I fought against her as a 
private soldier. [Applause.] 

Mr. BAIRD. Do you think the Spanish could stand cheese and 
Congressmen both? 

Mr. ALLEN. I do not know how the Spanish are on cheese. I 
wanted to discuss this matter of patriotism. I was not much in 
favor of war. I was not so anxious for a fight. I was one of the 
people over here who thought that, with the idea of liberty that 
had been instilled into us from our earliest youth and of which 
we had talked so much and prized so highly, we bad taught the 
Cubans to aspire to it and try for it— that in their attempts to 
throw off the yoke of a very bad Government and be free it was 
a shame that our Government should be spending millions m 
helping Spain and keeping people who w^anted to help the strug- 
gling Cubans in their effort to obtain independence from doing so. 
[Applause.] 

I wanted a long time ago to acknowledge their belligerency. I 
wanted to acknowledge their independence. I was not anxious 
for war, but if the war is properly conducted it may not be a bad 
thing to put a war in which we are all together between us and 
the terrible war in which we were against each other. But this 
war has been a godsend to the Republican party. It has let you 
out of the trouble you were in over the failure of the Dingley bill to 
produce sufficient revenue, and has made the people for the pres- 
ent forget many of your other shortcomings. 

Mr. Speaker, I am a member of that great committee of this 
House that reports the bills that appropriates the money for the con- 
duct of this war, and I appeal to the chairman to know if any Demo- 
crat on that committee has ever shown any disposition to with- 
hold from this Administration anything that was asked for in aid 
of the successful prosecution of this war. [Applause.] Then 
when that committee has discharged its duty and its bills have 
been brought into the House, I say, for the members of the Dem- 
ocratic ])arty, that if the Administration conducting this war 
had been their own, they could not have shown more disposition 
to intrust that Administration with unlimited sums of money to 
be expended in the discretion of the Administration than we have 
done here. 

I do not want to criticise anybody now. There are many 

things being done that do not meet my approval, and I have 

felt like criticising them: but, just as I said a while ago. while 

we are doing up Spain let us not be trying to do up each other. 

15 M 



I do not want to make any capital ofE of anybody, but I do ap- 
peal to this Administration, ^Tliile we are exhibiting this con- 
fidence, while we are placing in its hands unlimited amounts 
of inonev— I do appeal to the Administration and appeal to the 
Committee on Military Affairs in charge of bills here affecting 
this war to see that our confidence is not abused; to see that 
all parts of this country have a fair showing; to see that nothing 
is done as a matter of favoritism, but that all that is done is done 
in the interest of the whole people of our common country. 

If they mil do that for us, I want to say to you, my triends, 
that as an American citizen no man on your side of the House 
will applaud President McKinley and his Administration more 
heartily than I when he conducts this war to a successlul termina- 
tion with just as little stealing as is absolutely necessary. [Laugh- 
ter 1 We expect some, of course. We do not expect to get 
through without some. What I want is, gentlemen, that it shall 
be done with absolutely as little as possible. I want the steal- 
ing and jobs kept out of it, if it can be done; we want to be 
loyal supporters of the Administration that does it. \\e may 
differ about methods of raising revenue to do it, but we will not 
differ about any method when it becomes necessary, and it is 
shown that that method is necessary to a successful prosecution 
/-vf "fills wjir 

I have felt, Mr. Speaker, that it was not improper for some 
Democrat to say this much in behalf of our party. I am right 
with you, shoulder to shoulder, in this struggle. We may differ 
about whether cheese is necessary or not. That is a mere matter 
of detail. You know in these matters of detail the greatest lati- 
tude is permitted when you agree on the general proposition. 

Now the question of cheese or no cheese, with that sort ot Dill 
of fare already in existence, is a mere matter of detail, and not a 
test of patriotism one way or the other. If it is necessary to the 
soldiers, give it to them. If it is necessary to raise the price ot 
cheese and give a good market to the cheese interests, why, let us 
postpone taking care of the cheese makers until we take care of 
Spain and not mix it with war measures. 

"But I want to be understood about my proposition to make up 
this company of Congressmen to go to Cuba. I will tell you what 
is the truth. The American peoi^le would spare a company ot 
Congressmen as readily as any company that has ever gone to the 
front. [Great laughter.] There has been some complaint that 
there was too much talking and not enough disposition to hglit 
up here. Now, I say 1 do not doubt that the people will look with 
much complacency after the battle on the list of dead Congress- 
men, especially those who wrmt our places. 

3 But I make that proposition in good faith, and I will .lom a com- 
^pany of Congressmen. We will not ask any pay, we will not even 
ask cheese; we will just ask the Government to give us this ra- 
tion, and will stand on our Congressional salaries. [Great laugh- 
ter 1 That is better than the other boys down there get. [lie- 
newed laughter.] We will not ask any increase— .lust the Con- 
gressional salary. The Government gives us this ration, and we 
Avill go down there, and I tell you what is the fact— Iknowit tuey 
can get a full coinpanv of snch men as I am, it will n^t take us 
long to bring this tiling to a termin:ition. [Great laughter | 

Just think about a company of such men as I am being led hy 
the gentleman from Ohio, charging the enemy. Why, gentlemen, 
3534 



LIBKHKY Uh CONUKtbb 



013 785 894 ^ 



8 

the flag would soon float over Morro Castle. I want to say 
one more word about that ration. I went into the Confederate 
army weighing about 100 pounds. I was a sickly boy. You 
never would have thought I would have come to be what I am 
if you had seen me then. [Great laughter.] 

You never would have expected it. When I went into the army 
and got to eating rations from a commissary that was very poorly 
supplied, I fattened on it; I grew on it. With a very much in- 
ferior ration to this, I came out an able-bodied man without any 
necessity, even if I had been on the successful side, for a pension. 

I want to test my patriotism by the side of some of you pa- 
triots, and 1 want to do it in the usual way, by fighting. I am not a 
great fighter. 1 have fought some. I never went in without fear; 
always scared; but still I went, feeling like the fellow that ad- 
dressed the rabbit when he was running from the battlefield, when 
he said that if he did not have any more reputation at stake than the 
rabbit, he would have been going too. [Laughter.] 

I never got over this fear. After the war, for thirty years I 
used to be punished in my dreams by the yankees being after me. 
I would see the bluecoats all around me and not much chance to 
get away. But now I see people who were with me then. I see 
Butler and Wheeler and Fitzhugh Lee and Gates and Rosser and 
a great many others who were there fighting the bluecoats and 
who are now wearing them. [Applause.] 

1 have not the same fear that one old Confederate expressed to 
a gentleman when writing a letter not long ago. He wrote to 
know if he was going to the war. The Confederate said no; he 
did not believe he would go. He had been thinking of it right 
smart, and he would not mind to go, but he did not believe he 
would go. He said he wouldn't mind to go, and he thought he 
could make it all right with the boys who were living, but the 
thing that troubled him was that if he were to wake up at the day 
of judgment with a blue uniform on, what the boys who were dead 
and dfdn't know anything about this war would say. [Laugh- 
ter.] He said they would look up and see him with a blue uni- 
form on, and they would say, " Deserted, damn him." [Laughter.] 

Now, I am not afraid of that; I am not afraid of not being able 
to make it all right with the boys already dead; I am not afraid 
of the blue uniform; but I tell you what I want is to stop all 
this business about what political party is going to fight this 
war. I say that all the troops you want from Mississippi you 
are going to get, and you are going to get them just as good as 
ever shot a gun. [Applause.] And you are going to get them 
from every other State represented here by Democrats, Repub- 
licans, and Populists. 

Now, let us make a little armistice here to-day, and let us clean 
up Spain, and then 1 will give you all you want of Democratic and 
Republican politics. [Laughter and applause.] 

3524 



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